


Francine and Samantha's Whirlwind Adventure

by JetGirl1832, tomatopudding



Series: Family is Everything [13]
Category: Jersey Boys - Gaudio/Crewe/Brickman/Elice
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bob's sister is a total fashionista, Family, Family Bonding, Family Fluff, Female Characters, Fluff, Gen, M/M, Parenthood, Step-parents, she also has the kind of budget a broke college student might just kill someone for, the proper way to eat New York pizza
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-16
Updated: 2016-11-16
Packaged: 2018-08-31 10:48:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8575414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JetGirl1832/pseuds/JetGirl1832, https://archiveofourown.org/users/tomatopudding/pseuds/tomatopudding
Summary: Francine gets to spend some time with her Aunt Sam in NYC.





	

"Who's ready for some fun!" Samantha called out as she let herself into the house.    
  
"You know, this isn't why we gave you the spare key," Bob informed his sister, poking his head out from the kitchen.    
  
"You know you love me," Sam shot back.

"That's debatable," Bob rolled his eyes.

"Auntie Sam!" Francine dashed to the front door where Samantha was standing.

"My sweet girl," Sam replied, "You're getting so tall!"

"I grew another inch," Francine said proudly, throwing her arms around Sam's waist for a hug.    
  
"So you have," laughed Sam, "Are you ready for our trip to the city?"

"Yup!" Francine replied happily, "I've got my suitcase and everything!"

"I still don't think this is a good idea," Bob sighed.   
  
"Well Frankie does so there," Sam smiled.

"He obviously doesn't know you as well as I do," mumbled Bob. 

"Not to mention," continued Sam as if he hadn't spoken, "you and Frankie will have the house to yourself all weekend."   
  
Bob flushed and Sam laughed.

"You know you're looking forward to it-" Sam began.

"Alright you know what just go," Bob's face grew redder.   
  
"But I didn't get to say bye to you, Papa!" Francine ran back towards Bob to hug him.

Bob lifted her into his arms with a slight groan and peppered her cheeks and nose with kisses, causing her to giggle. 

"Have tons of fun," Bob said, "And don't give your aunt too much trouble."   
  
"I won't," promised Francine, "Tell daddy I said bye when he wakes up."   
  
"Of course," Bob relied with a nod.    
  
He helped get Francine's little suitcase to Sam's car and got the girl settled into her booster seat. Despite the growth spurt, Francine still wasn't quite tall enough to ride in the car without it.    
  
"Love you, bug," Bob murmured.    
  
"Love you too, Papa," said Francine.    
  
He watched as they pulled out if the driveway, a smile on his face. When they turned the corner, Bob retreated into the house. The empty house. His grin turned into a smirk. Time to go wake up Frankie the fun way.    
  


 

"How long do we have to go to get to the city?" Francine asked as they started driving out of the neighborhood towards the highway.

"Not even an hour," Sam told her, "Once we get to my apartment, we can figure out what we want to do. We’ll be going to a nice dinner tomorrow night. Did you pack a nice dress?"   
  
"I don't have one," Francine said, "I had one before, but I grew out of it."   
  
"Well, we're going to have to fix that!" declared Sam, "I am going to take you shopping."

Francine's eyes seemed to sparkle at the thought, "Really?" 

"Of course," Sam grinned, "NYC is one of the best places for that."   
  
A little over an hour later, they had gotten Francine's things dropped off and heading out on foot into the city. Francine was in awe of the tall buildings. Everything seemed so big and she stepped closer to Sam's side.    
  
"Don't worry," said Sam, taking Francine's hand, "This is my city and we are going to rule it."   
  
Francine giggled, a slight skip in her step as they made their way down the sidewalk.

"Where are we going?" Francine asked.

"Macy's!" Sam declared proudly, "You can't come to New York and not go to Macy's."

"What's Macy's?" Francine asked. 

Sam gasped dramatically, "What's Macy's? Only one of the biggest department stores there is! We are going to fix this lapse in your fashion education."   
  
"Papa is fashionable," said Francine, "I like his sweaters."   
  
Sam laughed.

"What's so funny?" Francine furrowed her brow.

"After a day with me we'll see how long you keep the opinion," Sam smiled.

"Daddy like Papa's clothes too," said Francine. 

"Well, love makes people do crazy things," Sam replied.    
  
"And Daddy loves Papa very much," added Francine resolutely.    
  
"Yes he does," laughed Sam, "Alright we're almost there."

As they approached Francine stared wide eyed, she'd never seen anything quite like it, sure there were department stores where she lived in New Jersey but they didn't look like this.

"I'm thinking that we'll start with jeans," Sam said, "You'll grow out of yours pretty soon, so we can get some that are a bit big and you'll grow into them."

Francine clutched Sam's hand as they walked through the store picking out clothes and trying them on, enjoying every moment.

When they got to the dress section, Francine's eyes went wide. 

"They're all so pretty," she said with hushed awe, "Can I really get one?"   
  
"You can get two of you want," assured Sam.

"Daddy and Papa don't let me get stuff like this!" Francine blurted out.

"Well your dads don't know what's necessary for a young girl's closet," Sam smiled.

Francine giggled as she started looking through the dresses on the rack. She was having too much fun to be overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices in front of her, picking several dresses to try on. A couple hours later they emerged from Macy's with Sam's credit card quite a bit lighter and Francine smiling sunnily. 

"Now I'm going to let you in on a little secret," Sam said, "Getting a dress off the rack is all well and good, but the best way to make sure that everything is perfect is to get a tailor to alter it. I know a guy."   
  
"Okay!" Francine jumped up and down and excitedly walked with Sam away from Macy's and towards the Garment District.

They came to a small, but well put together shop with the name Mulligan's emblazoned across the door and the awning in bronze script.

Sam held the door open for the woman who was exiting with what was obviously her children. 

"But Mama," a girl who looked about Francine's age was saying.    
  
"No buts," the mother said softly yet sternly, "I'm sure we'll be able to see him before we leave."   
  
Sam entered the shop and gestured to Francine to follow her. Apparently, the owner of the shop, from whom the name Mulligan came, wasn't in but his assistant had taken the proper measurements and assured Sam that Francine's dress would be ready to pick up by the end of the weekend. 

"So what else would you like to do?" Sam asked as they exited the store.

Francine hummed thoughtfully. Honestly, she had no idea what there really was to do in New York City. In the movies, people always just seemed to walk around the city aimlessly.    
  
"Surprise me," she said finally.

Sam beamed, knowing exactly where she wanted to take her niece, "Well come on," she gestured for Francine to take her hand, "let's get going."

They took a brief detour to drop their purchases off at Sam's apartment before going descending into the subway tunnels. 

"Where are we going?" Francine asked, sitting on the subway seat, her feet just barely reaching the floor. 

"The Natural History Museum," Sam replied.

Francine's eyes opened wide, "Cool!"   
  
"Definitely," agreed Sam, "It's a big place, so we can't do everything, but I'll let you pick." Francine reached over to hug Sam as they approached the stop for the Museum.

Francine wanted to see the dinosaurs first, of course, so they trekked all the way up to the court floor of the museum. She was in awe is they looked at the bones and there was the loud clatter of voices echoing throughout the large room with it's high vaulted ceilings. Sam followed along in Francine's wake as the girl practically ran from one exhibit to another, occasionally relaying facts that she read from the description plaques. When they finished Francine decided next she just had to see the Ocean Life located on the first floor of the museum. Not that Sam was complaining. She was a marine biologist, after all, and she would never say no to the Ocean Life exhibit no matter how many time she saw it.

This time she took over in explaining all Francine saw in more detail than provided, the girl was fascinated.

"How do you know all that Auntie Sam?" Francine gasped.

"Well," Sam said, "that's what I went to school for. I have a Master of Science in marine biology."

"That is so cool," breathed Francine, "I wish I was grown up so I could do something like that too."   
  
"You've got plenty of time," Sam laughed, "Don't grow up too quickly, though. I'm sure that your dads want to keep you little for a while longer."

Francine smiled as they continued onto the next exhibit she wanted to see which of course happened to be located on the third floor.

"At least I'm getting my workout," Sam huffed as she followed Francine up the stairs again. 

Reptiles weren't exactly Sam's thing, but amphibians were close and she had a few facts up her sleeve from the various biology classes she had to take and it was enough to keep Francine wide eyed and entertained.

After that Sam let Francine drag her to African Mammals on the second floor where she just stared at the Lion on display, which caused Sam to grin and congratulate herself on the plans she had made for Sunday as she was now positive that Francine would love it. Moving through there Sam sensed that Francine was getting tired from dashing back and forth all over the place. That didn't stop the ten year old from insisting that they go back down to the first floor to the Hall of Planet Earth. After that, however, they took their leave of the museum to get some real New York pizza for dinner.

"Now if you're going to have New York pizza you have to eat it right," Sam instructed, Francine looked puzzled.

"There's a right way to eat pizza?" questioned Francine. She usually just ate it with her hands or her dad cut it up if it was too hot.

"Well in New York there is," Sam laughed, "I'll show you."

Francine watched as her Aunt picked up her slice and promptly folded it in half, the girl furrowed her brow in confusion.

"This way," Sam said, "if you've got a busy day, you don't have to stop what you're doing to eat a nice slice of pizza."

"It's like a pizza sandwich," giggled Francine, carefully folding her own slice.

When they were done they returned to Sam's apartment for the evening.

“We've got another if day ahead of us tomorrow," Sam smiled.

"Can we go to the Statue of Liberty?" Francine asked. 

"Of course we can."

"Yay!" Francine bounced up and down before bounding up the stairs to the a apartment.

Sam followed her at a slower pace, glad that she had worn her sensible heels for today. Francine's energy lasted about half of the way up to Sam's apartment before she started to flag, leaning against Sam where they stood in the elevator. Sam smiled down at her niece, stroking Francine's hair lightly.

 

\----------

 

The next morning after breakfast they went to catch the train out towards Battery Park to go see the Statue of Liberty. They followed the signs to an old building where they purchased their tickets before going to catch the ferry that would take them to Liberty Island. Sam helped lift Francine up so she could see over the railing, the wind whipping through her hair as they sped across the water.

"Can we go all the way to the top?" Francine asked, her eyes glued to the Statue.

"Of course," Sam laughed.

The ferry pulled up to the dock and the got off to look around and get in line to go all the way to the top of the crown.

Francine craned her neck, trying to see the top. 

"It's so big," she said, "I bet you can see the whole world from up there!"   
  
"Just about," agreed Sam.

"Let's go!" Francine dragged her towards the stairs.

"Pace yourself, there's a lot of stairs," Sam called after her, letting out a small huff when Francine didn't even pause.    
  
"She's adorable," commented a young woman with a laugh.    
  
"My niece," Sam said proudly. She didn't stay to chat though, hurrying her steps to catch up with Francine.

After the first fifty steps the climb became significantly more difficult but Francine pressed on determined to make it to the very top.

"Come on Auntie Sam!" Francine called from about ten stairs ahead.

Sam resolutely ignored the voice in her head, which sounded a lot like her brother, that was currently extolling the virtues of flat shoes, and continued on her way. If anything, she would definitely have toned calves from this trip. And with that reasoning in mind it was almost enough to keep her going higher, and higher, and higher still. 

There are 354 steps from the bottom of the Statue to her crown. This was something that Sam knew. Not because she had looked it up, but because Francine had counted them all on the way up.  Now standing at the top she realized that all 354 steps were completely worth it as she looked out over New York Harbor. In the distance she could see ferries arriving and departing from Liberty Island and Ellis Island.   
  
"Wow!" Francine gasped.

"My ancestors sailed into Ellis Island many years ago," Sam told her, pointing towards it, "All the way from Italy. I'm guessing your dad's did too, but I think it was long after mine. The Gaudio family hasn't lived in Italy for quite some time now."

"Can we go there?" Francine asked, "To the island, I mean."

"Sure," Sam nodded.

"Let's go now!" Francine decided.

Sam laughed, "Let me catch my breath a few minutes more. It's a long way down."

Francine sighed, but turned her attention back to the view outside.    
  
A few minutes later they started their descent which was considerably easier than going up the stairs had been. 

"Still the same number of steps?" Sam teased when they made it to the bottom.    
  
"Of course," scoffed Francine with a giggle, "Why would it change?"

"Just checking," Sam smiled, "let's go catch that ferry."   
  
The trip to Ellis Island was slightly longer than the one to the Statue had been and Francine spent the whole time on the top deck, looking down at the boat's wake searching for dolphins. Sam didn't have the heart to tell her that she probably wouldn't see any so she simply stood with the her niece, tying the girl's hair back in a French braid.

They disembarked the ferry and followed the crowd towards the large foreboding structure that was clearly a relic of the past. Sam had been here once in a school trip ages ago but she had forgotten what it was like.

"Where do we find out about yours and Papa's family?" Francine asked. 

"There's a computer system inside," Sam explained, "When we find out what ship they came on then we can look at their personal information."   
  
"Can we do that now?" Francine asked.   
  
"How about we take a tour first," Sam suggested.   
  
"Okay," agreed Francine, slightly warily.    
  
Sam picked up two audio guides and they started to make their way through the various rooms of the building. Although Sam was fascinated--history had always been another of her favorite subjects, after biology of course--she could see that Francine was losing interest after the first few rooms. So instead on continuing on Sam lead her back downstairs so they could get lunch and look up her family.

"Not big on history?" Sam questioned, spearing a tomato in her salad. 

Francine shrugged and hummed, her mouth still full. When she swallowed she said, "I still wanna know about Papa's family, though."

"Okay we'll look them up," Sam smiled, "but you have to finish your lunch first."

Francine nodded and picked up another chicken nugget. It took some cajoling to get her to finish her own side salad--but only a little, obviously Bob had trained her well--but they were soon finishing their meals and heading to the room with the database computers. Francine sat down and Sam pulled up a chair beside her so they could begin their search.

"Alright," Sam said as she pulled up the search form, "Do you want to type or should I?"

"Me," said Francine, climbing onto Sam's lap so that she was in from of the keyboard.    
  
"Okay," laughed Sam, "So let's start with the last name."   
  
Francine carefully typed out "Gaudio" into the correct box.    
  
"And they got here in 1899."   
  
After that was put in, Francine clicked enter and three results popped up.    
  
"Great. The city they came from was called Mendicino."   
  
Only one result matched those parameter.    
  
"Antonio Gaudio," Francine read out.    
  
"That's him," confirmed Sam. 

"This is so cool!" Francine replied.   
  
They pulled up ship manifests and passenger information and even pulled up some information about Antonio’s town of origin. When they were done with their research they went back to the dock to board the ferry to take them back towards Battery Park.

"How do you feel about a little culture this afternoon," said Sam as they disembarked the ferry, "We can go to the Met. It's an art museum."

"We have art museums in New Jersey," Francine replied.

"Not like this one," Sam grinned.

"I think I'll be the judge of that," said Francine primly. 

Sam chuckled, "You sound like my brother."

When they arrived Francine couldn't help but marvel at the building with it's white marble stairs that dominated fifth avenue.

"Just wait until we get inside," Sam told her. Francine had a bit more of a spring in her step as they approached the entrance.

Even the entryway was massive and bustling with people shuffling from exhibit to exhibit.

"It's like a castle..." Francine looked wide eyed at her surroundings.   
  
Sam chuckled and took Francine's hand, "Come on. Let's go look at some art."

First Francine dragged her down a small hallway filled with medieval and Renaissance art work which she would stop to look at items when they caught her eye. She was particularly interested in the illuminated manuscripts, admiring the crafted letters and colorful images. When they reached the end of the hall they were now in a room filled with old armor, swords, guns and pistols.

"This isn't art," Francine seemed confused.

"Isn't it?" Sam questioned. She led Francine to a case that held a full-face helmet covered in shining patterns, "Look at that design. Somebody had to do all of that by hand."

"By hand?" asked Francine, "Really?"

"Yup, by hand," Sam replied. 

"Wow," Francine marveled.

"Anything can be art," Sam told her, "even if it's not something you might expect."

They were silent for a few moments longer as Francine studied the detail of the design, her nose nearly touching the case.    
  
"Can we see some other stuff?" Francine asked finally, looking up at her aunt.    
  
"Sure thing, sweetie," assured Sam, "What are your thoughts on Ancient Egypt?"

"Okay!"

Sam just wasn't sure she could get them to that part of the museum without getting lost. They entered through one large atrium and she knew they were close.  Another hallway lead to another room less crowded than the first with large Egyptian statues and the remains of a temple stood tall. The windows to the left of them gave a lovely view of Central Park.

Francine walked up towards the temple with it's large stone columns, "They brought this all the way from Egypt," Sam informed her.

"Did the Egyptians say that they could take it?" Francine asked. 

This startled a laugh out of Sam, "No, I don't think so."   
  
"Isn't that stealing, though?"   
  
"Well," Sam said, "the people who made this were dead long before it was ever brought over."

Francine frowned then looked at the doors leading into the gallery, "But how did they get it in here?" she asked noting that the doors were much too small for any of it to fit through.

That Sam was not quite sure, "Very carefully…”

"Maybe," Francine mused, "they built the museum around it."   
  
Sam laughed again, "Maybe."

Francine then dashed up the stairs so she could get a better look inside of the temple. Sam waited at the bottom of the steps, occasionally catching a glimpse of Francine darting around the pillars, spreading her arms out as if she wanted to see if she could hug them, neck craning up to look at the ceiling.

"Woah..." Francine jumped slightly at the sound of her voice echoing in the large room.

"Having fun?" Sam asked. 

"I can't believe this was made by people," Francine said in lieu of replying, "With their hands and everything."   
  
"It's pretty amazing," agreed Sam.    
  
Francine descended from the temple to look at the other pieces in the room.

There were several other statues of various gods and goddesses made out of gleaming black stone that Francine examined briefly before deciding to go on. Francine wasn't sure where she wanted to go next, so Sam took the reins and went to a few of her favorite exhibits, including the Frank Lloyd Wright room, but it soon became apparent that they were reaching the end of Francine's attention span for the day. The museum was also closing soon so they made their way back out to the front that was now lit up and bright against the night sky. Sam had big plans for the next day, so she and Francine grabbed a quick bite to eat and then headed back to her apartment for the night.

 

\----------

 

"What are we doing today Auntie Sam?" Francine asked as she ate her breakfast.

"Well first we're going to have a spa day, we'll get our hair and nails done and then we're going to see a play," Sam smiled.

Francine paused, her forkful of eggs halfway to her mouth, eyes widening, "A play? Like on Broadway?"

"That's right," said Sam, "On Broadway."   
  
"What're we going to see?" asked Francine, practically bouncing in her seat.

"The Lion King."

Francine gasped excitedly, "Really?"

"Would I lie to you?" laughed Sam, "And I even got a call from the tailor this morning before you woke up that your new dress is all ready, so you'll be able to wear it to the show."

"Yay!" Francine exclaimed.

"So eat up your breakfast and we'll get moving," Sam smiled.

After Francine had finished eating and brushed her teeth, they set out. The tickets were for a matinee show, so Sam hadn't scheduled anything too lengthy at the spa. Francine was a bit young for most of the treatments, but getting nails done was a must. The girl giggled her way through the pedicure and watched in fascination when the manicure polish was brushed on--just a clear coat for Francine because Sam knew there were limits and she didn't want her brother to ban her from spending time with the girl, and classic French tips for herself. 

They had picked up Francine's new dress and she began to twirl around the second Sam zipped up the back, "Now you look like a princess."

Their next stop was the hair salon and after a quick trim of a few split ends, Francine decided on a twisted up-do. She chattered to the stylist non stop as he combed and pinned her hair and Sam couldn't help but laugh.

"You ready to see your first Broadway show?" Sam asked as they exited the salon.

Francine nodded excitedly, her eyes wide and a huge grin on her face. 

"Lion King is my favorite Disney movie," she told her aunt, "Well, my favorite after Sleeping Beauty."   
  
"The show is a little different from the movie," Sam explained, taking Francine's hand has the crowd started thickening the closer they got to the theatre, "but you'll definitely recognize the songs."

They wove their way through the crowd in front of the Minskoff theater so that they could go inside and take their seats for the show. Francine was bubbling with excitement. She babbled excitedly about her favorite characters and songs, while Sam listened with a smile, until the lights dimmed and the opening notes began. As she watched the show, Sam sent the occasional glance in Francine's direction, enjoying the sheer delight in the girl's eyes. Francine nearly bounced out of her seat when the huge elephant puppet lumbered down the aisle right beside her.

Francine watched the whole show perfectly behaved and enjoying every moment, her only request as they left was that she wanted a Nala doll. Sam couldn't resist the doe eyes, so Francine left the theatre hugging her new plushie. 

"How about some dinner, princess?" asked Sam, "There's an Asian fusion place down the road that makes the best steamed buns I have ever tasted."   
  
"Okay!" Francine happily took her Aunt's hand as they walked away from the theater.

 

\----------

 

They'd had a fairly late night, so Sam let Francine sleep in the next day.

"Do I have to go back?" Francine pouted as she packed her bag.   
  
Sam laughed, "Don't you want to see your a Daddy and Papa?"

Although Francine continued to pout, it lightened somewhat.

"Yeah," she replied, putting the last few pieces of clothing in the suitcase and flipping it closed, "And I have summer camp next week."   
  
"Your dad told me about that," Sam said, helping Francine zip up the bag, "Art camp."   
  
"Uh huh," agreed Francine, "There's gonna be music and drawing and even dance!"

"And you are going to have a wonderful time," Sam nodded, "did you check to make sure you have everything?"

"Yes, Auntie Sam," Francine said dutifully, "All my new clothes and everything."

"Fantastic," said Sam, pulling the suitcase so that it stood upright, "let's get this road on the show."   
  
Francine giggled.

 

\----------

 

Back in Belleville, Frankie and Bob were anticipating Francine's return from her trip with Sam in the city.   
  
"I hope she didn't corrupt Francine," Bob sighed.

"You're worrying to much," said Frankie, pulling Bob close so they were pressed chest to chest, his arms slipping around Bob's waist. 

Bob chuckled, dropping a kiss onto Frankie's forehead, "It's kind of what I do. Worry unnecessarily."

"Which is why you're such a good father," Frankie grinned.

"Is that really the only reason?" Bob raised his brow.

"Nah," said Frankie, "You're also caring and attentive and, let's face it, your ponytail-making skills far surpass mine."

"You're a pretty good dad yourself," Bob shot back, "Not that we're keeping score or anything."   
  
He leaned down slightly to press their lips together. It had been nice having this weekend all to themselves, but both of them were definitely ready to have their little girl back home. They broke apart at the sound of a car pulling up he driveway.

Frankie was the first to get to the door, opening it before Francine even got to the door, "Daddy!" she called out dashing forward to greet him.

Frankie crouched down so he could gather Francine into a hug, kissing he tip of her nose.    
  
"Hey there, sweetie. Did you have fun."   
  
"Lots!" Francine said, "We went to see Lion King on Broadway!"   
  
"Do I get hugs too?" Bob asked, giving an exaggerated pout, "I'm feeling left out."   
  
"Papa!" Francine greeted with the same amount of enthusiasm as before, untangling herself from Frankie to throw her arms around Bob's legs.

"We missed you, princess," Bob chuckled, he then noticed there was a lot more than what Francine had left with, "What is all of that?"

"Auntie Sam bought me clothes!" exclaimed Francine. 

"Looks like she got you a brand new wardrobe," Bob said lightly.    
  
"As if I would do any less," said Sam as she breezed in.    
  
"Oh! I want to show you my dress," gasped Francine, grabbing one of the bags and skipping to her room with it.    
  
Bob looked to Frankie, but the other man didn't meet his gaze.    
  
"I should go put away the rest of the laundry," Frankie said, hurriedly making his way to the stairs up to their room.    
  
Bob sighed and rolled his eyes. That was Frankie, always avoiding confrontation when it was between the Gaudio siblings.    
  
"Really, Sam," Bob deadpanned, "What was wrong with the rest of her clothes?"   
  
"They were all so plain," sighed Sam.    
  
"They were not," Bob insisted, "Her clothes were perfectly fine for a girl her age."

"They weren't fashionable at all. She spends too much time surrounded by nothing but men!" Sam argued.

"You're making it sound like such a bad thing! She has two fathers who spoil her rotten, she doesn't need an aunt to do it too." Bob sighed as he looked at all stuff that sat in the hall.

"You just don't understand," Samantha shook her head.

"If I find that you've given my ten year old daughter makeup," Bob grumbled, "I will end you."

“Does lip gloss count?” Samantha asked innocently, “I mean in my mind that’s not really makeup but-”

They were interrupted by the entrance of Francine, wearing a dress and the aforementioned lip gloss smeared inelegantly over her lips.

"Do you like it, Papa?"

Francine gave a twirl and the dress, which thankfully reached just below her knees unlike some of the things Bob knew other girls her age and older would wear, flared out around her. It was, Bob had to admit, a cute dress. And, he noticed happily, the lipgloss was nothing but shimmer, even if it was more around Francine's lips than on them. "You look lovely, sweetie," he complimented, kneeling down to her height, "here."

Carefully, he wiped away the lip gloss that had missed its target, leaving Francine grinning with shimmering lips.

"I'm gonna show Daddy!" Bob could feel Sam's smirk even though he wasn't even looking at her.

"Shut up, Manta," he grumbled.

"You should know by now to trust my judgement," Sam replied breezily, "later, Squirt. See you at mom and dad's anniversary party next week.

Taking advantage of the fact that she was taller than him for once, Sam ruffled Bob's hair as she swept out of the house.

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, there was really an Antonio Gaudio who arrived at Ellis Island from Mendicino, Italy, in 1899.
> 
> Why does Bob call Sam "Manta?" Samantha-->Mantha-->Manta. It works well, considering Sam's a marine biologist (three cheers for women in STEM!)
> 
> Also, there are some characters from another musical fandom that we write in. Did you spot them? Virtual cookies to you if you did.


End file.
